No. 9 UCSD Women Wallop East Bay, 6-0
HAYWARD, Calif. - The ninth-ranked University of California San Diego women's soccer team put away Cal State East Bay with a three-goal, eight-minute rampage in the first half of Sunday's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) match at Pioneer Stadium, and went on to a 6-0 decision over the Pioneers.
Six different players scored for UC San Diego, with junior striker Katie O'Laughlin (Carlsbad/Pacific Ridge School) providing her league- and West Region-leading 14th to go alongside a career-high three assists.
UCSD improved to 14-2 overall and 10-0 in the CCAA. The Tritons are winners of 11 straight, the last eight of them in shutout fashion, and have out-scored conference foes 32-1 while vying to become the first team to run the CCAA table since 1998. An overmatched Cal State East Bay fell to 3-10-3 overall and 2-8 in league play.
The result also meant that UCSD has clinched a top-two seed for the 2016 CCAA Tournament, and thus a first-round bye for the six-team tournament. The Tritons avoid playing on Tuesday, Nov. 1, and instead will rest up for a return trip to Turlock to begin defense of their record ninth banner from a year ago, in the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 4.
Itzel Gonzalez made one save in goal for UCSD to post her league-leading 12th individual clean sheet. Fellow senior Jasmine Corbett had five stops for the Pioneers.
Sophomore forward Mary Reilly (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS) began the onslaught with her third goal of the weekend, both proving to be game-winners, at the 19:25 mark. The score was another product of UCSD's incredible partnership up top, with O'Laughlin passing to Reilly, who shot to the upper right for her ninth on the year.
Within three minutes, O'Laughlin ran down the right flank and crossed for Elisa Martinez (El Cajon/Francis Parker School). The junior central midfielder made no mistake from in front of goal, notching her first of 2016.
After serving as the provider for the first two, it was O'Laughlin herself who ended what little drama remained in the 28th, the assist going to senior Kiera Bocchino.
The Tritons still were not done for the first half. Kristen Sampietro, who has added valuable offense in her new role coming off the bench as a wing midfielder in her fourth year, literally only had to tap in sophomore teammate Summer Bales' left-sided cross at the base of the far post at 42:43. It was her third on the year.
Following the interval, in the 54th minute, O'Laughlin crossed from the left, and junior winger Jordyn McNutt poked it into the upper left from around the penalty spot for her fourth. The score meant a third assist for O'Laughlin, with McNutt having already achieved that feat this season back on Oct. 2 against Humboldt State.
True freshman Roni Merrill took it upon herself to cap the scoring in the 85th with her second collegiate strike, turning in Sampietro's left-sided cross.
Bocchino had struck the post in the 19th, as did East Bay's Megan Ravenscroft in the 62nd. It was one of the last actions of the first period, however, that really put a scare in UCSD's lengthy shutout streak. A Pioneer corner kick was headed by Andrea Hernandez at the near post, but junior right back Makenzie Brito was perfectly stationed at the opposite post, to deny the goal and keep intact a Triton whitewash that has now reached just over 745 minutes.
UC San Diego continues a four-game road stretch to conclude the regular-season schedule this Thursday afternoon, Oct. 27, at Cal State San Bernardino. Kickoff at Premier Field is slated for 3 p.m.
Triton Notes: This is UCSD's longest win streak since another 11-gamer in 2006 from Oct. 4-Nov. 4 ... UCSD's current shutout stretch has reached 745:25 ... This is UCSD's longest streak of shutouts of the NCAA Division II era (since 2000), and longest since another eight-gamer from Sept. 29-Oct. 27, 1997 ... The Tritons have scored two or more goals in 12 successive games, a record streak for the program's NCAA Division II era ... UCSD has outscored opponents 48-6 this year as the West Region's top offensive side, and an incredible 32-2 after halftime ... This 11-game win streak marks the Tritons' longest unbeaten stretch since they began the 2011 season at 8-0-4 ... The first half marked UCSD's second four-goal period of 2016 ... The Tritons scored six goals for the first time since a 6-1 home defeat of Central Washington on Sept. 1, 2012 ... The result was UCSD's most lopsided since another 6-0 decision, at home against Dominican, on Sept. 2, 2010 ... Megumi Barber (San Diego/Mt. Carmel HS) was unavailable through injury for a sixth straight match ... Fellow sophomore Summer Bales returned to the field after serving her two-game red-card suspension from Oct. 14.
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